5 Ways to Win Back Top-Quality Employees – 11/19/2014

Five tips on how employers can win back high-quality healthcare employees that got away.

According to a report released on November 7, the healthcare industry added 25,000 jobs last month—on par with the previous 12-month average gain of 21,000 jobs per month. And with the demand for healthcare services increasing, the need for more healthcare professionals is expected to continue growing as well.

As you find yourself preparing to hire new staff, we bet you’d love to hire an employee who already knows how to do the job, whether it’s in nursing, billing, or working in the lab. And how would you feel about one who’s already familiar with most of your medical practice’s procedures, staff, and patients? Sounds like a dream come true, right? These employees do exist. They include top performers laid off or poached by other medical organizations. Here’s how to win them back.

1. Keep tabs on the best.

When the economy or downsizing dictates layoffs and you lose a top-notch internal medicine physician or nurse as a result, stay in touch. The same goes for high-quality employees who leave of their own accord. Social media is an excellent tool for this purpose. While they may be reluctant to mix their professional and personal lives on certain social media platforms, you can still connect with them on professional ones. At minimum, make sure you get their current address, phone number, and personal email before they leave.

2. Add value to your offer.

If your former health information technician is really good at his or her job, they probably didn’t spend much time unemployed. That means the same old role and salary may not be enough to convince them to come back. Consider ways to add value to your offer. Money is one place to start, but you can also try to entice your best prospects to return with a prime shift opportunity, schedule flexibility, continued education assistance, extra vacation time, or another attractive reward.

3. Consider a promotion.

If your former employee is eager to advance his or her career within the healthcare industry, they may be tempted to return to your hospital, clinic, or other healthcare facility if you are able to offer a promotion. While an actual increase in responsibility and compensation is likely preferable, some may be satisfied with a perceived promotion in the form of a new job title. You can get creative with this if necessary. For example, if your best receptionist will only come back for a management position and the role of office manager is not available, you could title them ‘lead medical receptionist.'

4. Sell your facility’s culture.

If your previous nurse practitioner or medical coder has been away for a while, he or she may have forgotten about all the things that make your medical facility special. When you make your pitch for their return, take time to remind them about the family atmosphere, focus on education, supportive network, advancement opportunities, a common cause, or whatever else your organization has to offer.

5. Address the reason for leaving.

If your former employee was the victim of a layoff, reassure the candidate that the hospital, clinic, or practice’s financials are in a better position. If they left of their own accord, address the reason why. For example, if it was because of a lack of advancement opportunities, discuss possible future promotions. If he or she moved on because of difficulties with a supervisor or coworker who is no longer there, make sure they know the employee is gone.